8 Colorful Plants for a Wonderful Winter Garden

Let’s get close up and personal with 8 colorful plants for a wonderful Winter garden! What you see outside of your windows this time of year can be colorful and interesting! So here’s some colorful evergreen eye candy to inspire you . . .

As I type this to you, we’re in the midst of another Nor’easter here in southern New Jersey. After raining all night, it changed over to sleet and now has begun to snow. We’re expecting a couple of inches, but I’m always hoping for much more than that! (I can’t help it — I truly miss the massive snowstorms I enjoyed when I lived up in Boston!)

Why am I talking about what’s going on outside at this exact moment?

Because yesterday it was sunny and in the mid-60s outside.

Seriously.

I went outside to take some pictures, and had to first come back inside and put a t-shirt on, instead of the sweater-plus-layers I’m used to wearing!

8 colorful plants for a wonderful Winter garden!

So, I digress, but it was actually amazing to look out of our breakfast room windows and notice the brilliant color of the Heather popping up.

Upon this close up and personal inspection, you can see that not only is it blooming already, but it’s growing! I don’t know if this is good or bad. Our white Heather in our front garden seems to have a mind of its own and blooms whenever it wants. I guess this purple Heather wants to join in on the fun, and I’m not complaining one bit!

So what else is eye-catching in our backyard in the dead of Winter?

How about our Magnolia Janes? Scroll up to the earlier image I shared, and here’s a close-up below of the fuzzy catkins that totally look like pussy willows! I’m as fascinated with their soft texture now at age 50 as I was when only a child. I covered Magnolia Janes in depth here: Magnolia Jane: you absolutely need this stunning flowering tree!

This is our King’s Gold Cypress. It’s basically a mop cypress, and the gold color is refreshing to the eye this time of year!

Don’t knock the small size of Blue Star Junipers. Their striking blue color makes up for their short height. An evergreen that’s blue? Yes please!

One of my favorite evergreens — which can be grown as a tree or a shrub — is Red Tipped Photinia. I’m planning a future post on this amazing plant so stay tuned. It’s a broad-leafed evergreen that truly has red tips when there are new shoots and leaves.

Ahhhhhh, the Winter color of our Rheingolds is the exact reason we purchased these shrubs! The copper color during this season is outstanding! If you look closely below, you’ll see some of the greener parts tucked farther in. I’m working on a post about this shrub too, as it’s another must-try for your landscape.

Behold, the evergreen Shore Juniper. Kind of a standard shrub — but of course I don’t think there’s anything standard about it personally. It’s a wonderful evergreen with branches that sort of spray upward from the base. When you get super close and personal, like the image below, you notice the texture and pattern too.

One plant that’s missing from this list isn’t truly missing, because I devoted a separate post about it:

Red Twig Dogwood! This is a must-have for Winter interest — in fact that’s primarily why people want it in their gardens. But ours actually bloomed last season, so I consider this plant more than just for one season. You can learn more in my post here: Red Twig Dogwood.

OK, so this last example of Winter color isn’t an evergreen, but it is an important part of our backyard Winter scene: the dried flowers on our Limelight Hydrangea Tree. The texture is so pretty, and the dried blossoms are so delicate.

So now’s the time to pour through those plant catalogs, or check out plant websites, and plan what you want to see in your garden next Winter!

Many of these shrubs are sold in the Spring, so you’ll be able to enjoy colors like these next year!

You can also get more ideas in my two-part post about Fall Garden color:

Pet Scribbles is where I share my craft tutorials, home and garden projects, and occasional stories about my cats. I can never have enough pretty craft paints to work with, and I love to make things look time-worn with distressing and aging. Gardening is my therapy!

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